Book 1 Chapter 310

310

Everyone looked at Tina with astonished faces.

Tina yawned languidly and scratched her left calf with the tip of her right foot.

With both hands shoved into her gown pockets and an unenthusiastic expression, Tina was certainly different from ordinary elves.

"She's a bit strange, isn't she?"

Carl whispered to Leo.

"Definitely an eccentric."

Leo, resting his chin on his hand, said indifferently.

"For someone like that, you don't seem very surprised."

Leo chuckled at Carl's question.

"Well, I've seen so many strange elves."

"True. Lunia and Eiran are also far from the typical image of an elf."

"What's your idea of a typical elf, then?"

"Hmm… Luna, the progenitor of the nebula? A benevolent feeling, like she seeks harmony? And… pure and innocent."

"……"

Leo made a strange expression.

Benevolence, harmony, and purity.

'These are the least fitting adjectives for Luna. When will her true nature be exposed to the world?'

"By the way, why did someone from the Tingel family come to Rumerun as a visiting professor?"

Chloe tilted her head, expressing her doubt.

The Tingel family.

The family of Seyrun, the Comet Mage.

They are considered not just the best among elves, but among all races, the strongest family among the distinguished magical hero families.

It was surprising that someone from the Tingel family came to Rumerun as a visiting professor, and not to Seyrun.

Moreover, recently Seyrun and Rumerun.

More precisely, the human magic academic community and the elf magic academic community are on very bad terms, thanks to Ren's thesis, 'Introduction to Star Magic.'

It was certainly unexpected that Ren, the author of that thesis, invited Professor Tina.

It was at that moment that Carl, too, crossed his arms and fell into thought at Chloe's words.

"It seems there are a few students curious about why I came to Rumerun as a visiting professor."

At Tina's words, several students made awkward expressions.

Tina looked at those students and said nonchalantly.

"There's no need to think it's strange. I'm a direct descendant of the Tingel family."

At Tina's words, the students' gazes became even stranger.

If she was a direct descendant, it made even less sense for her to come to Rumerun as a visiting professor.

"So that's it."

But Avard nodded as if he understood.

"What is it, brother?"

Chelsea, beside him, tilted her head curiously.

"If she's a direct descendant of the Tingel family, she should be famous, shouldn't she? But have you ever heard the name Tina Tingel?"

Chelsea, pondering as she looked at Avard, who asked with his characteristic gentle smile, shook her head.

Her distinctive light blue hair swayed.

"Could there be a reason why she hasn't made a name for herself as a direct descendant? Especially if Professor Ren says she's the top expert in magical artificial engineering, she must be incredibly capable."

"Ah."

Chelsea exclaimed as if she had realized something.

The students of Rumerun also began to grasp the hidden meaning behind Tina's words, every single one of them.

Seeing that, Tina nodded.

"The Rumerun kids are smart. Seeing them arrive at the conclusion even when I spoke somewhat like a riddle."

"Hmph, I taught them to cultivate broad thinking as mages. Inference is the most important element in magical theory, after all."

"Professor Ren. I don't think this is the time for boasting."

Anna sighed deeply, but Tina nodded as if she didn't mind.

"It certainly seems so. Children nowadays tend to be too accustomed to activation formulas, so they're weak at inference."

Tina stared directly at the Rumerun students with her bored golden eyes.

"It's as you expected. I am a member of the Tingel family, but external activities are not allowed for me. I can't even be active in the magical academic community."

The students began to exchange glances.

Tina, unfazed by the students' reactions, continued.

"I was born unable to use magic. In other words, I'm not a mage in the sense of a user."

"It's true that Lady Tina cannot use magic. But I don't doubt for a moment that she is a mage."

Ren grinned.

"Speaking of Lady Tina, she has written incredible magic theses in all kinds of magical artificial engineering! The most prominent example is her creation of the [Human Body Magic Activation Engraving Ritual]! This magic ritual was also a great help to [Introduction to Star Magic]!"

At Ren's explanation, Chloe's eyes widened.

"[Human Body Magic Activation Engraving Ritual] is a thesis written by a mage named Defoe."

"Defoe is my pseudonym."

Chloe was at a loss for words.

"Why is she suddenly like this?"

"Oh my! It's Defoe! Defoe! What do I do!"

Carl, seeing Chloe blush like a girl in love, looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"She's an author who wrote many magic theses that Chloe likes."

"Ah."

Carl nodded at Leo's answer.

"One of her representative works was [A Philosophical Study on Why Ice Mages Should Learn Ice Magic], wasn't it?"

"That's right."

"What's with that book title? It sounds so strange and headache-inducing just hearing it."

Carl made a wry face.

In fact, most of the magic books Chloe read were difficult for Carl.

It was a difficult book not just for Carl, but for more than half of the second-year magic students.

Chloe wasn't the only one excited to hear the name Defoe.

Several students showed excited reactions.

"Professor Ren."

"Yes, Carl."

"How did you get to know someone who uses a pseudonym and is active?"

Ren chuckled, looking at Carl who had raised his hand to ask.

"For a long time, I was impressed by Lady Tina's magic theses and always wanted to meet her. But I couldn't find her face in academia, so I diligently wrote letters."

Ren's passion for magic was already well-known among the students.

Chloe listened to Ren's words and admired.

"So Lady Tina was also impressed by your sincerity!"

"No. Because I kept ignoring the letters, Professor Ren even tried to use tracking magic on them."

Tina looked at Ren with an expressionless face.

"I thought if I stayed still, he would actually find my location and intrude, so I met him willingly. After meeting him and talking in person, he seemed like an interesting person, so I accepted the invitation."

Everyone stared at Ren with strange eyes.

Anna clutched her head and shook it vigorously.

While all the students wore strange expressions, Tina spoke.

"At Professor Ren's invitation, I will be staying in Rumerun for a while. And I will be teaching you about 'Magical Artificial Engineering'. Your exam assignment is familiar creation."

Tina walked to the center of the classroom.

"Anyone want to present on familiars?"

At her words, several students raised their hands.

Tina, with an expressionless face, casually scanned the students and then pointed at Emio, who was sitting in the very back.

"You, there."

"My name is Emio Luchan."

Emio, who was fifth in the second-year magic department, stood up from his seat.

"Alright. Explain about familiars."

"Familiars are traditional assistants to mages. They receive a mage's magical power and assist in combat."

"That's right."

"However, it's also a field that has almost reached obsolescence."

Emio continued without finishing his sentence.

At his words, most of the magic students nodded in agreement.

"The origin of familiars lies in the summoning magic of summoners. Strictly speaking, familiars are also included in the broad concept of summoned beasts. However, mages cannot form contracts with spirits and phantom beasts. Therefore, familiars are basically summoned beasts whose rank is far below that of spirits and phantom beasts."

Many students looked slightly flustered at Emio's words.

Because they anticipated his next words.

"Therefore, I cannot hide my doubts about the fact that this mid-term exam assignment is familiars. I would like to hear an explanation from Professor Ren as to why it is familiars."

Ren smiled faintly at Emio's dissatisfied words.

"I can certainly understand student Emio's point. Familiars are indeed becoming obsolete."

Ren nodded.

"Previously, familiars were used to buy even a brief moment to activate magic. But as time passed and magic rituals advanced, the magic activation time gradually decreased. In recent decades, there have even been research findings that using offensive magic with the magical power required to use familiars is more advantageous in combat. The scope of familiar usage was limited to guardians, or for communication. That was the trend in the magic world, and I thought so too."

Ren smiled meaningfully.

"However, after seeing Lady Tina's laboratory, the story changed a bit. I started to think that before long, familiars would once again become mainstream in the magical academic community."

Familiars being pushed out of the mainstream of magic was something that happened hundreds of years ago.

At the mention that such familiars might become mainstream again, the students' eyes widened.

"Regarding that, Visiting Professor Tina will explain!"

At Ren's words, Tina scratched her backside and said.

"Emio… was it? You're from a military family, aren't you?"

"Don't you know if you hear the name Luchan family?"

"No, I don't. If you put it that way, I'm a Tingel, even if it's just in name. There's no need to specifically remember other families, especially those of other races."

Seeing Tina speak so bluntly, Emio's face slightly contorted.

"Military mages unnecessarily favor practicality. There's also a strong tendency for them to believe that current magic trends are the best. They also strongly prioritize combat over research. Well, I understand, since they're soldiers."

Tina said nonchalantly.

"Alright. Then you'll realize how useful familiars can be in actual combat once you see it."

Tina pointed outside with her finger.

"Shall we go out?"

***

The magic experimental ground in the magic classroom.

Tina stood in the center of it.

Seeing Tina, Emio asked.

"Shall I fight?"

At his provocative words, Tina made an unenthusiastic expression.

"No, if possible, I'd prefer a student who can perform various attacks."

Tina smiled faintly, for the first time.

"For example, an All-Class."

At those words, everyone's gaze turned to Leo.

Leo stood in the center of the magic experimental ground.

"If I'm acceptable."

"Yes."

Tina looked at Leo with intrigued eyes.

Her previously listless eyes now held life.

Leo saw that look and was reminded of Luna.

'That's the look she had when she first saw me.'

The gaze full of curiosity, saying it was the first time seeing an All-Class.

Recalling that look, Leo waited for Tina to summon a familiar.

A moment later.

Tina extended her hand.

Slithering- Splat-!

A blue liquid flowed from Tina's upper body and dropped to the floor.

And it began to clump together.

The students who saw it made flabbergasted expressions.

"What? It's a slime?"

"Is she going to fight Leo with a slime?"

"I thought it would be some unique familiar."

A slime.

An artificial lifeform created through alchemy, it was one of the most common familiars for mages.

Voices filled with disappointment here and there.

However, Leo, upon seeing the slime, narrowed his eyes.

'What is this heavily modified slime?'

Leo quickly counted the number of magic rituals embedded in the slime's core.

'What kind of magic power source can activate so many magic rituals at once?'

Usually, the magic rituals used for a slime are at most five.

But the magic rituals used for this slime numbered around a hundred.

It was then that Leo looked at the familiar with intrigued eyes.

Slithering-

The slime began to gather into one mass, and soon took on a certain form.

Leo, seeing that, narrowed his eyes.

'An elf?'

The form it took was that of an elf mage roughly Leo's age.

At that moment, Chloe made a surprised expression.

"The Comet Mage?"

At those words, Leo narrowed his eyes and looked at the slime.

'It looks exactly like him.'